On Tuesday night, Emerson Etem was playing a hockey game in Rochester, N.Y. The NHL team that drafted him, the Ducks, were playing an hour west in Buffalo. Etem’s current team, the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, were enjoying a day off back in Saskatchewan.

So it’s a little hard to put Etem’s current challenge in perspective.

Hockey can be weird like that.

Etem was named Wednesday to Team USA’s roster for the World Junior Championships, which happens to be hosted on home soil. Upstate New York is about as far from his native Long Beach as possible without being in Canada – but to Etem, it’s still important.

The 18-year-old has never played in the world juniors before and his only previous international experience came two years ago in Europe with the Under-17 National Development Team. Only the best teenage hockey players in the world (not in the NHL) get to play in the WJCs, so there’s something to prove here.

“Getting drafted is a steppingstone. So is this,” Etem said. “It just keeps getting better and better.”

The high point for Etem – certainly the most visible so far – came in June, when he was drafted 29 th overall by the Ducks at Staples Center. His cheering section was the largest that day, fitting since his family didn’t have to drive too far to get there.

While the WJC tournament seems a bit obscure by comparison, plenty is at stake – for Etem and for the U.S. A year ago, the U.S. beat Canada on its home soil in a thrilling championship game. The hockey-proud Canadians are hoping to return the favo(u)r.

Even though Etem already won a national championship (the USA Hockey Youth Tier I U-18 title) playing for Shattuck-St. Mary’s High, this is bigger. “It would be on the top of the list,” he said.

Etem wants to prove he can play outside the cradle of the WHL, where he is tied for 10 th in goals scored with 20 in 32 games for Medicine Hat. He’s one of only five players from the Canadian junior leagues on the preliminary U.S. roster. Most are playing college hockey while a few, like fellow Ducks prospect Kyle Palmieri, are already in the American Hockey League.

Palmieri was a lock to make the team after he scored both regulation goals as the U.S. lost 3-2 in a shootout Tuesday to the Czech Republic in an exhibition game.

Etem scored a goal Sunday in an exhibition loss to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and had several more scoring chances against the Czechs, though he couldn’t convert. After the game, Etem said he wasn’t nervous about making the final roster.

“I feel like I’ve done everything possible with the opportunity I’ve been given,” he said.

The tournament represents a unique opportunity for Etem to showcase the speed and the two-way game that caught the Ducks’ attention at the draft table. The tournament is played on the wider Olympic ice sheet, per International Ice Hockey Federation rules, which Etem believes plays right into his speed. He’s also having to play a less offensive-oriented role – more penalty kills than power plays.

“It’s less, I don’t want to say systematic, but more dump and chase,” he said. “I think the guys focus more on defensive play than offensive. That’s probably the biggest difference. There’s much more of a two-way game focus here than in the Western League.”

Etem got his first taste of what the Ducks expect from him defensively at their rookie development camp in July and again their main training camp in September. He cited two players specifically – forwards Saku Koivu and Matt Beleskey – as being particularly helpful in the transition to the NHL game.

For the Ducks, who will be watching Etem and Palmieri closely, the tournament is a glimpse into the near future.

At the same time Etem was battling the Czechs, the Ducks were losing 5-2 to the Buffalo Sabres. Rookies Cam Fowler and Brandon McMillan both saw plenty of ice time; both were lined up on opposite sides last year in the WJC finale – Fowler for the U.S., McMillan for Canada.

Etem, while focused on the present, is hoping to follow the same path.

“It’s something I’ve thought about,” he said. “I was watching the game the other night. Watching McMillan … I saw he’s playing with (Ryan) Getzlaf late in the game. They definitely have an open mind toward the prospects playing early. It’s really fun to see them do well in the big league. It’s something I look forward to.”

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.